


and when you're far away, i'm giving you all my love

by vakarianss



Series: koi no yokan [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, First Kiss, Friendship/Love, Katara and Zuko are so stubborn, Katara and Zuko slow dancing is my weakness, Romance, Toph and Iroh scheming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:14:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24998143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vakarianss/pseuds/vakarianss
Summary: Katara and Zuko come to some realizations a few years after Sozin’s comet.
Relationships: Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: koi no yokan [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1846222
Comments: 14
Kudos: 153





	and when you're far away, i'm giving you all my love

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this fic comes from the song “Heavenly” by Cigarettes After Sex. I highly recommend listening to it and looking up the lyrics! There may be a specific scene in the story you’d like to play it during.
> 
> This was my first time writing for these characters and man, I had a blast. I hope you enjoy.

Contrary to what people assumed, Zuko did not love rising with the sun every single morning. Since becoming Fire Lord, he came to appreciate the company of moonlight as it was when he felt most productive (it may have reminded him of a certain waterbender). The hustle and bustle of the palace throughout the day was replaced with a calming silence that filled the hallways. He didn’t find it unnerving; quite the opposite—he enjoyed hearing nothing besides the crackling fire behind him in his study. It was during this time he would often prepare for upcoming council meetings, review proposals, and write letters to his friends.

 _Friends_. His heart clenched. He frequently found himself reminiscing about their time on Ember Island and how close they had gotten all those years ago. They were still very close, but it was evident they didn’t have nearly as much time to get together. Even when they would stay with him, it was never for more than a few days. They were all so busy helping the world heal.

In the letters he received from Katara specifically, he noticed a recurring topic was his health. To be frank, Zuko really wasn’t sleeping well on most nights. To make matters worse, his uncle would also write Katara occasionally and provide her actual updates on how Zuko was doing—the complete antithesis of the dismissive tone he often employed when she began inquiring too much about his wellbeing. The truth of the matter was he didn’t want her worrying about him. He knew she had a lot on her plate as the ambassador for the Northern and Southern water tribes, and didn’t want to give her an additional reason to stress.

Zuko snapped out of it. He noticed he tended to become rather introspective during these hours too. He sighed deeply and let his hair out of its topknot. It was the same length it was when he was crowned Fire Lord five years ago. He knew it wasn’t traditional, but then again, nothing about his reign so far was. He figured he would keep it like this for as long as he could.

He sat back in his chair and stared at all of the scrolls piled on his desk. He was normally ready to tackle them with ease, but tonight appeared different. And he knew exactly why. A celebration was being held in the Fire Nation royal palace tomorrow due to the success of a new trade agreement between the nations.

Zuko dreaded these events because of how pompous so many of the Fire Nation nobles were, and their subtle jabs at his age didn’t go unnoticed. It wasn’t all bad though. As annoying as he found the formality and small talk he was forced to engage in with complete strangers, he reveled in the fact he would be reunited with his friends.

“Maybe I should get some sleep after all...” Zuko said to himself. 

On a normal day he could function with just three hours of sleep, but since he had to be somewhat presentable tomorrow, he would never live it down if everyone he saw were to comment on the bags under his eyes, giving him away.

He cleaned up for the night and changed into his evening clothing. As soon as he was lying down in bed, his eyelids became heavy and sleep found him soon enough. He dreamt of piercing blue eyes and quiet smiles.

—

Zuko heard a soft knock on his door and opened his eyes. “Come in,” he stated, his voice raspy.

“Ah nephew, good morning. I hope I am not disturbing you.”

“No uncle, it’s fine. I should be waking up anyway. Busy day ahead of us.”

“Very true. I am very excited for the celebration tonight. You have accomplished so much my nephew.”

“And yet, it never feels like it’s enough.” Zuko sighed.

“Nonsense. We can’t have you saying such things. You know what this occasion calls for?”

“Hmm, let me guess, jasmine tea?”

“I’ve taught you well!” Iroh chuckled.

Zuko would never tire of his uncle’s quirks; in fact, he loved him all the more for it.

—

As his uncle was pouring tea, Zuko began reviewing some of the proposals he hadn’t gotten to the night before. He was sure he would be asked about his thoughts on them tonight.

“You seem especially motivated today. I am almost positive it has to do with the company you will have this evening,” Iroh said teasingly.

“Do I? I am excited to see the avatar, yes. It has been a while. It feels like a long time since I’ve seen the others too.”

“And master Katara, she tells me she is ecstatic to see you.”

“Katara is always a welcome sight. She is a good friend.”

“There’s an old proverb that says absence is to love as wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small and enkindles the great. Here’s your tea. And with that, I will leave you to it.”

And sure enough, he was gone before Zuko could even respond.

—

As the day went on, Zuko felt a fluttering sensation in his stomach. He could sense the urgency in the atmosphere as servants ran around the palace making preparations. He knew his jitters were the result of something else but he could not quite place the source.

He felt a twinge of disappointment when he remembered Katara stating in her letter that they would only be staying overnight in the Fire Nation. It seemed Aang had urgent matters to attend to and Katara needed to go back to the South Pole. He reminded himself that he needed to be thankful all of them were at least coming to the Fire Nation.

They should actually be getting here soon, he thought to himself. Sure enough, not even five minutes later he heard Appa landing outside.

He walked out to the courtyard and couldn’t suppress the smile on his face. Seeing Sokka, Toph, Suki, and Aang all together filled him with an elation he hadn’t experienced in a while.

Once his eyes landed on Katara, the feeling in his stomach heightened.

“Sparky!” Toph yelled gleefully. This snapped him out of his trance.

“Hey Toph, it’s so good to see you.”

“You too. I knew it was you standing there, I could tell from your racing heartbeat.” Toph commented with a sly smile on her face.

“That’s great and all but I expect there will be plenty of good food tonight, right? I am starving!” Sokka commented.

“Oh Sokka, really? That’s your biggest concern right now?” Suki laughed.

“I mean, it’s great to see you, buddy. Did you get taller?” Sokka walked up to Zuko and gave him a warm hug.

“I don’t...believe I have?” Zuko only then realized Sokka was teasing him.

“Sifu Hotman!” Aang greeted. Zuko rolled his eyes playfully and hugged him. Aang had grown so much over the years.

He looked up to see Katara was next in line to give him a hug. “It’s so great to see you, Zuko. I’ve missed you so much,” she said ardently.

“I’ve missed you too, Katara. More than you can imagine.” He said softly. She gave him a radiant smile and hugged him tightly.

“Uhh Toph, why do you have that creepy smile on your face?” Aang inquired.

“Oh, no reason, twinkletoes.”

—

Zuko led them to their quarters which were all located in the same hallway. Toph and Katara were sharing a room, while Sokka and Suki had their own. Aang had his own room too.

“Feel free to relax and take it easy, people aren’t expected to arrive until after seven.” Zuko said.

“Thank you sifu hotman!” Aang bowed.

“You’re never going to stop calling me that, are you?” Zuko asked in resignation.

“Nope!” Aang flashed him a brilliant smile in return.

“Wellllll, I tried taking a nap on Appa’s saddle but it was so loud I wasn’t able to, so I think I know what I’m going to do!” Toph exclaimed and marched into her room.

Sokka and Suki had already disappeared and he heard giggles emerging from their room. Zuko shook his head. He saw Katara make her way over to Aang and figured he should leave. He didn’t want to intrude on anything.

From what he could overhear, he didn’t get the impression the nature of the conversation Katara and Aang were having was romantic, but he couldn’t deny the slight jealousy he felt. Katara and the avatar had an indescribable bond; he assumed they were still together, as Katara never hinted at anything else.

He walked down one of the corridors, dwelling on what to do next. He didn’t want to go back to his quarters and run into them still conversing in the hallway. He decided to go feed the turtleducks in the meantime.

“Why do I even care?” Zuko asked himself once he sat down by the pond. If Katara didn’t want to share information regarding that part of her life with him then that should be the end of it. Even with this line of thought, he couldn’t shake off the curiosity as he fed the turtleducks.

—

A few hours later, and Zuko was finally at peace. Or the closest to peace he could possibly be. It may have had something to do with the few glasses of plum wine he’d already drank.

He’d already greeted and made small talk with all of the important people from the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, including Toph’s parents (whom she insisted on not coming with) so he was taking some much needed time to himself by the table filled with alcohol.

He was pouring himself another glass of wine when he looked up and saw Katara making her way towards him. She had on a beautiful blue sapphire dress with thin shoulder straps that showed off her collarbone. She was wearing silver heels, and her hair was down. She also had makeup on, which Zuko wasn’t used to seeing. Zuko’s eyes widened but he was able to maintain his composure.

Katara placed her hand on his arm. “Looking sharp, Fire Lord.” She said teasingly. Zuko blushed.

“I could say the same for you. You look beautiful Katara.” Now it was her turn to blush.

“Well, you know I found this dress and thought this might be a good occasion to wear it for. It reminds me of home. Ah, thank you, by the way.” She smiled sheepishly.

He felt something in the air, but she was quick to change the subject. “I see you’ve been drinking wine. Good idea.”

“Allow me.” Zuko grabbed a wine glass and poured the wine. He handed it to her and gave her a small bow.

Katara laughed, and Zuko swore he would never tire of hearing that sound.

“Hey, are you guys starting the party without us?” Sokka asked, pretending to sound hurt. Him and Suki both look regal in their attire.

“Absolutely not. We were just warming up.” Katara responded.

“Where’s Aang?” Zuko asked.

“Oh, he’s just showing off some airbending tricks. You know how he loves to do those at parties.”

“And Toph?” Katara sounded a bit worried.

“Last time I checked she was speaking with her parents, but we should probably go save her if she’s not back soon.” Suki stated. They all nodded in agreement.

Zuko was definitely feeling the effects of the wine now and decided to do something he would never do sober.

“Katara, would you like to dance with me?”

Katara, in the midst of sipping wine, coughed.

“Katara, are you okay??” Sokka asked.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine! I am just surprised by your request Zuko.” Katara barely managed to let the words out between her coughs.

“Yeah, well I’m filled with surprises.” He smirked. Clearly the alcohol allowed him to feel more confident.

“Of course, Zuko. Lead the way.”

As they made their way to the dance floor, he could’ve sworn he heard Sokka say something along the lines of “Save a dance for me!”

—

It took them a few tries, but Zuko and Katara eventually settled into a rhythm that matched the music. The song the band was playing was one of his favorites. It had a beautiful melody; albeit, a melancholic one.

“I didn’t know you could dance, Zuko.”

“I can, but I choose not to.”

“Well I shouldn’t be surprised, you and Aang did show us a demonstration all those years ago with the, what was it? The Dancing Dragon?” Katara laughed.

“Oh yeah, that was just a sneak peek.” Zuko joked. They both avoided making eye contact with one another, instead distracting themselves with their surroundings while they danced.

“You know, I do miss you a lot. And I do worry about you, even though you don’t want me to. Running an entire nation isn’t easy.” Katara turned to face him as she said this.

Zuko was taken aback. He couldn’t help but look into her eyes.

After a beat, he replied. “Growing up, I felt unloved but to have you guys and my uncle makes me realize I am so lucky.” Zuko realized he was finally telling her all the things he was never able to in his letters.

Katara looked at him with utter adoration in her eyes.

“Of course, Zuko. We’re your family and always will be. I mean, it’s been five years and we’re all still here together. You have done so much for me personally. I can never repay you.”

He immediately knew what she was referring to. “Katara, I don’t think you understand. You’ve helped me so much—you’ve been my counsel over the years. And I would do what I did that day a million times over to ensure your safety.”

He could hear Katara’s breath hitch in her throat. She stayed quiet for what felt like an eternity. Zuko wasn’t sure how to follow up with what he said. He felt extremely vulnerable. She placed her hand on his scarred side and caressed his cheek tenderly.

“Katara, I can’t put what I’m feeling into words.”

“You’re okay, Zuko.”

They were dancing very slowly now, solely focused on one another. He hadn’t even realized the previous song had ended. Her hand was still on his cheek.

“I know I’m leaving tomorrow, but I need you to promise me something.” Katara stated.

“What is it?” Zuko responded.

“I need you to promise me that you’ll come visit me more often in the South Pole. And I will make sure to visit you more too.” She smiled sweetly at him.

“I promise.”

“Time is passing us by and I spend so much of it missing you. And every time I see you and I have to leave, I long for you even more.”

Zuko was speechless at her revelation. He could sense a few eyes staring at them but he didn’t care. He was laying his soul bare to Katara like he had all those years ago in the crystal catacombs.

“Katara, I don’t know if you’re still with Aang, so please tell me if I am overstepping any boundaries, but I think I’ve always harbored feelings for you. I’ve thought about you all this time, and I didn’t know what it meant, or maybe I didn’t want to know, but having you here with me makes me realize I need to say it out loud.” Zuko couldn’t believe he was actually voicing these feelings that had been buried for so long.

“Oh Zuko, I haven’t been with Aang for some time. We broke it off a while ago. I figured I would focus on myself for a while, and I have, but it was during this time that I realized how much I would think about you. I have looked forward to every letter you’ve sent the past few years like a schoolgirl with a crush.” Katara confessed.

Zuko’s mouth was agape. He’d been so dense all this time.

“Don’t forget what you promised me, okay? We have a lot of lost time to make up for.” Katara’s voice sounded pleading and hopeful at the same time.

“I agree. Let’s not allow time to make fools of us again.” Zuko replied.

And with that, they danced the rest of the night away.

—

Zuko awoke the next morning with a massive headache. In spite of this, he smiled as the details of the previous night flooded his mind.

He’d confessed to Katara how he felt. The fact she felt the same way filled him with euphoria.

He cleaned up and made his way to the dining room where he spotted his uncle and Toph having tea and chatting.

“Ah, nephew, you’re awake!” Iroh smiled at him.

“Rise and shine, Sparky!” Toph snickered.

“What time is it?” Zuko inquired.

“You slept in super late if that’s what you’re wondering. You danced so much last night I thought you might’ve been confined to your bed today. Oh, and by the way, thanks to your liquid courage last night, I made some money, so I owe you.” Toph smiled wickedly.

Zuko’s brow lifted and he looked at his uncle. “Did you have something to do with this?”

“Well, Miss Beifong and myself have had a bet of sorts going for a while now about when you and Miss Katara would come around regarding your feelings for one another.”

Zuko smacked his forehead. “How long have you guys been placing bets?!”

“Since she was glued to your side for weeks after you took lightning for her, so the bet’s been going on for quite a while. I’ve had to be very patient. I’ve seen both of you since then in other relationships, so once those ended, I knew was inching closer towards my jackpot.” Toph answered.

Zuko was flabbergasted.

“Nephew, I must admit Toph had the timing right. I didn’t expect you to come to the realization until much later, if I’m being frank.”

Zuko could not believe his love life was a common topic of conversation for the two of them.

“Well, I’m glad I realized it when I did.” Zuko smiled as he said this.

“So are we! Now go talk to her!” Toph yelled.

—

Zuko found Katara sitting by the pond in the courtyard, bending a small amount of water from it. She was in her traditional water tribe garments, and it reminded him of when they were younger.

“Hey.” He sat down next to her.

“Hey yourself.” She gave him a wide grin.

“I...was quite out of it yesterday, huh?” Zuko asked.

“You confessed your feelings to me so easily. I had to admit I was surprised. All it took was for a little bit of alcohol to get you talking?” Katara teased.

“Yeah, I like to put myself through turmoil, as you well know. I guess unrequited love was bound to be something I would have to deal with.”

Katara just stared at him.

It dawned on Zuko what he’d said. “Did I say love? I’m really—“

Before he could finish coming up with an excuse, Katara grabbed him by the collar of his tunic and kissed him.

He kissed her back with a hunger he didn’t know he possessed. As the kiss deepened, she fisted her hands more tightly in his tunic and he sucked on her lower lip gently while he cradled her face with his hands. He could write sonnets about the way kissing her felt.

When they broke apart, they were both flushed.

“I...” Katara started.

“That was...really nice.” Zuko replied.

“This is strange, but in a good way.” Katara flashed him her stunning smile.

“I know what you mean. Also, I already love kissing you. Since we’re throwing everything out there.”

“Well, you’re in luck, because you’ll have plenty more in your future.”

“Better late than never.” He kissed her again.

“Better late than never.” Katara reiterated against his lips, and interlaced her fingers with his.

Fin.


End file.
